Thirty sparrows clamor around the bird feederwhile a squirrel plots its route to the same,and I wonder if this is faithfulness:to know what is needed and to crave it solely. Give us this day our daily bread,for you will give what is good, O God,Now let us be faithful in receiving it. The hounds of… Read More
Sunday Prayer: Sunset
Now I lay me down to sleep.I pray the sun’s rays not to weepor linger o’er our earthly achesbut whisper “peace” as stars awake. Now to rest in awe of night,to wonder as celestial heightssing lullabies of mysterythat put our turbulence at ease. And now to trust within our fleshthe kinship lived in every breathwith… Read More
Saturday Prayer – Old Growth
Creator God, You made all of these things. Leaves. Lichen. Sunlight. Ants. Ferns. Worms. The seed that nestled into the earth. The seed that grew into a seedling that became this majestic tree. The wild wind that blew her down one winter night. And me, standing here in the buzzing silence of rain forest, my hand… Read More
Saturday Prayer – Resurrection
This is your resurrection promise, Holy Friend. From death, life will grow. Remind us that that new life does not always Look like what we had planned or hoped or imagined. Help us to see the new life You spread extravagantly, abundantly, beautifully, even the most unlikely places. Amen. ________________________________________________________________________________________ Jennifer Garrison Brownell serves as… Read More
Friday Festival: A New Season
We don’t always notice the turning of the seasons as it happens day by day. And then, all at once, the signs appear in an unmistakable way. The first green shoots poking out of the garden soil in Wisconsin, the first baby lambs in the hills of Scotland, the noticeable chill in the early morning… Read More
Saturday Prayer: Giving Thanks
For the sunshine, the iris, the thousand shades of green, I give you deep thanks, O God. Let me live in gratitude for the abundance of Your creation: abundant beauty; abundant provision; abundant life. Let me rest, this day, in appreciation for what is solid beneath my feet; for the oxygen in the air I… Read More
Saturday Prayer – Living Water
Living Water, Quench our parched hearts. Flow in and through and around us. Rock of Salvation, Be our firm foundation. Grant us confidence in your steady presence. Breath of Love, Guide us always in your way. Whirl now as you always have and always will. Amen. Jennifer Garrison Brownell serves as pastor at First… Read More